


Notes in the Margins

by she_who_the_river_could_not_hold



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Pining, Swearing (Mild)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-05-20 11:44:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19376047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold/pseuds/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold
Summary: Max and Lucas have been rivals at Hawkins Preparatory since the day she first started at the boarding school. It’s an unspoken agreement that they have with each other and she’s not sure if they could end it if she tried. Not that she wants to – she can’t stand him and that’s final. But then their antics are brought to a halt with the threat of losing out on being named valedictorian being held over them as a warning. And suddenly they’re forced to get along.With the two of them not at each other’s throats anymore giving her time to think, Max begins to come to the startling discover that maybe it isn’t exactly hatred she feels for Lucas. Not even a little bit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It turns out that the only way I was able to start climbing out of a horrific creative burnout was to avoid all WIPs and just start something new. This was also requested by two anons on Tumblr! This was going to be a one shot but uh… Just a warning, I know next to nothing about private schools, let alone a boarding school, and I didn’t really do much research. Essentially just picture Chilton from Gilmore Girls but then with dorms also on the school grounds? 
> 
> Thanks for checking it out and enjoy! If you like it, you can also check out the moodboard I made for it [here](https://she-who-the-river-could-not-hold.tumblr.com/post/185827544924/notes-in-the-margins-a-modern-lumax-enemies-to)! Title is from a Jess quote in Gilmore Girls: “I just wanted to put some notes in the margins for you.” It just felt right! I hope you like the story :)

The fabric of Max Mayfield’s uniform scratched against her skin, as it had for the last five years. Her fingers toyed with a loose thread on the hem of her skirt, a strand of yellow from the plaid pattern in the fabric. As her hair slipped forward from where she had tucked it back behind her ear, she didn’t bother putting it back. She was too focused on not unraveling her entire skirt out of anger. 

 

Tapping his shoes nervously against the floor next to her was the source of her anger, Lucas Sinclair.

 

She welcomed the shield of hair so she didn’t have to keep glaring at him.

 

_ It was his fault they were here. _

 

A creak in front of them jerked her out of her tirade of thoughts and she looked up to watch as Flo opened the large wooden door to the headmaster’s office. Lowering her oversized classes, the secretary gave the two teens a long hard look before nodding towards the office behind her. 

 

“Headmaster Hopper will see you two now,” she said disapprovingly before disappearing in a cloud of old Chanel perfume. 

 

Lucas and Max nearly knocked elbows as they both shot to their feet, jostling to get towards the door first. She growled under her breath, practically stepping on his feet as she was able to slide into the front just before they entered. A minor victory, but she took it all the same. Sitting behind his desk, his hands already resting in his hands, was Headmaster Hopper. Max couldn’t help the quick glance over at Lucas at the sight, catching his eye as well before quickly facing forward again. They wordlessly each sat in one of the chairs that had been placed in front of his desk.

 

Minutes ticked by, marked only by the sound of a distant clock somewhere in the office.

 

“It is September. How many times am I going to have to see you two in my office before winter break?” Hopper asked with a groan, finally pulling his head out of hands and giving a pointed look at the two of them. 

 

His mustache was growing out oddly and Max had to choke back a giggle before pulling her face back into as neutral of a stare as possible.

 

She didn’t give him an answer. 

 

Mainly because she wasn’t sure what to say since it was going to be nearly impossible for her to promise that somehow she and Lucas wouldn’t be at their throats again. Which would most likely result in them being back here in this office no doubt. At least with the scale they were escalating to.

 

Lucas held his tongue as well and Hopper’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at them. 

 

“A food fight? Are you two serious right now, what are you six?”

 

“It was hardly a food––” Max cut herself off as Hopper’s face swung to stare at her. 

 

Okay,  _ maybe _ she had dumped her plate of pasta on top of Lucas’ head. But that was because he had cut her off for the last brownie on the dessert table and then proceeded to empty his napkin of crumbs (as well as other bits of leftover food) on top of  _ her _ head while she and El had been talking about their homework due in Mr. Clarke’s class that afternoon. Of course she was going to retaliate. 

 

It wasn’t like anyone else had been involved, so it wasn’t an outright food fight. Not by her standards at least. And if she had any other food she would have gone for something less messy, but the pasta was all she had. Therefore, pasta it was that she had impulsively poured on top of Lucas.

 

“As much as I can sympathize with teenage antics, I can’t have you two setting bad examples for other students. And frankly I expect more from both of you.”

 

Max flushed and she looked back down at the stray thread on her skirt. 

 

“It’s fine,” Lucas said after a moment, his voice curt and decidedly not fine. But he had the same understanding to this as Max did. This was just their thing and it was always uncomfortable when teachers (or headmaster in this case) intervened. She didn’t see why it was so important to everyone that they got along. They did perfectly fine as rivals.

 

Apparently Headmaster Hopper didn’t see it that way.

 

“If you two don’t at least start tolerating each other,” he took a moment to jab a finger and point at each of them, “I will revoke either of your chances to become valedictorian.” 

 

Max couldn’t help the squawk of indignation that came from her. It was mirrored by an equal noise of frustration from Lucas, the two of them leaning in prepared to fight their cases against him, but Hopper shook his head.

 

“And that’s final. I’m not interested in the two of you taking each other down before you get the chance to graduate. It also doesn’t look good to other students, or their parents who are paying this school a lot of money, if I reward bad behavior. I can’t do it if you two insist on acting like children. Just please, give me this one thing.”

 

A silence settled in the office. 

 

Max scratched at her knee and stole a glance over at Lucas. He seemed to be just as mollified as she felt. His eyes slid over to her as well, his lips pursed. A silent agreement was exchanged between them with a blink before they faced forward again. 

 

“Yes sir,” they mumbled in synchrony, a tone of resignation lacing their accepting. 

 

“Now get out of my office before I have to give the two best students here formal detention for once,” he said with a wry grin, shooing them out. 

 

With a long exhale, Max hurried out of the office just on the heels of Lucas. They made sure to completely pass by Flo’s open desk and back into the main hallway before stopping and facing each other. Lucas’ deep brown skin had a tinge of red ghosting his cheekbones as he glared at her and Max knew she had her own patches of redness on her cheeks from the lecture and her lingering frustration with Lucas.

 

“Let’s make a deal,” he whispered angrily. “We only talk to each other when we need to, otherwise it’s like we don’t know each other. It’s a big deal for me to be Valedictorian and I’m not having you mess that up.”

 

She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. “Oh and it’s not important for me? You’ve got yourself a deal Sinclair. Not a word.”

 

The stood there momentarily facing each other off until the bell rang to signify that lunch was over. A rush of students flooded the hall as everyone hurried to their lockers to get whatever they needed for the afternoon. No one spared them a glance, all too used to the usual fights between the two of them. Max glowered at Lucas until the bumping of students was too much and the two were jostled apart. Hoisting her book bag higher on her shoulder, she gave the back of his head one last murderous glance before spinning on her heel and merging into the channel of students.

 

Everything between them was a challenge and she wasn’t going to mess this one up.

 

* * *

 

When Max had been awarded a scholarship to attend Hawkins Preparatory in seventh grade, she didn’t have very high hopes for her experience. The only saving grace was that it was a boarding school and she wouldn’t have to listen to her step-dad yell about everything and Billy’s loud music and his own asshole tendencies he had inherited.

 

But still,  _ boarding school? _

 

Yikes.

 

When the day came to move in though, she’d still felt butterflies of excitement in her stomach, despite her initial skepticism.

 

Hawkins Prep, as it seemed to be more commonly called, was located on a sprawling campus just north of where her family had moved. The ruddy brown brick buildings peered out from behind overgrown trees and the white trim shone brightly in contrast against the otherwise primarily earth-toned campus. The dorms were separate from the main academic building, with what looked like a couple other buildings just shooting off just a way from it as well as athletic fields to the east. It was intimidating at first, but after being on the grounds for a little while, Max had to admit it was more relaxed than she had originally given it credit for. Certainly a far cry from the more run down public school she had been attending back in California. 

 

After getting set up and having an interview with the imposing headmaster, a man named Jim Hopper with a gruff demeanor and sly, secret smiles when the secretary wasn’t looking, it had been time for her to move into her dorm. 

 

Her room was the same size as her bedroom back home, and she’d have to share it with someone, but that didn’t seem to matter. She’d actually get to decorate her side exactly how she wanted it and she wouldn’t have to worry about Billy’s overly loud radio or the sound of her mom and step-dad arguing. 

 

Her roommate was a small girl named El and she had surrounded her side with piles of romance novels and vintage records, as well as what appeared to be an old poster of morse code. Max had been a bit cautious at first, unsure of exactly how to go about making a new friend. Her worries lasted approximately five minutes after her mom left (the goodbye had been somewhat emotional but stilted too) but then somehow the next thing she knew, she and El were best friends. It also turned out that El was the headmaster’s daughter which had thrown Max for a loop, but it didn’t seem to affect her demeanor at all and they instantly bonded.

 

With a friend under her belt and a wall covered in horror movie posters and her own books joining El’s on their new bookshelf her mom had bought them, now all that was left was to tackle her first day of school.

 

Not that the school itself was far from her dorm, but she too excited to not have to carpool with Billy anymore that she didn’t think twice about using her skateboard to cross the quad. El had left earlier to go to the library and she knew she could just store it in her locker over there, so it seemed like the perfect chance to break it out/ 

 

She started to instantly regret it once she noticed everyone staring at her.

 

Apparently skateboards weren’t big at Hawkins.

 

_ Whatever. _ Max didn’t care about other people’s opinions of her, especially not at a boarding school. So she proudly kept riding it across, her head held up high.

 

“Looks like we got ourselves a Zoomer!”

 

The boy who had called out had a mess of curly hair springing out from underneath a hat, something she still wasn’t sure was against the dress code or not. It hardly seemed malicious, not with such a wide toothy grin to follow, but it still rubbed Max the wrong way. Eyeing the boys around him, she determined that at least none of them were going to say anything else. So she threw up a half-hearted middle finger and kept on her way. 

 

Underneath her skateboard, the brick path clicked against the wheels and she used it to steady her breathing. 

 

Boys were dumb in every state.

 

Her trouble with them didn’t end then though. While she only saw the curly haired boy once more during the rest of the day, she saw his other friend  _ plenty.  _ He was just taller than everyone else in the hallways and she immediately picked up on his voice in classes. He seemed more serious than his friends, who would randomly pop up around him throughout the day, but then he would laugh and his smile would flash brightly against his warm brown skin and Max had trouble admitting to herself that she thought he was really cute when he laughed. He was a teenage boy though so she didn’t exactly have high hopes.

 

What ended up helping her not give into those thoughts happened in her second class of the day. 

 

Of course they had the same class and she noticed him glancing at her during roll call. Fine, she’d been glancing at him as well. But then when it came to the teacher asking questions, they answered her at the same time.

 

They’d exchanged a surprised glance at each other after the first one. It stopped being funny to Max though after the third time they raised their hands in unison. Competitiveness was her strongest suit and she was determined to make a good impression at this new school. It didn’t matter how smart this guy with the dorky, annoying friends was. 

 

From there on, it became a contest between the two of them. They shared three more classes together that day and in each one, they’d steal a look at each other before shooting their hands up. At her old school, Max had been used to being one of the only people who spoke up in class. That wasn’t too different here except for now this guy.

 

Or Lucas Sinclair, as she had learned his name was.

 

At the end of the school day, she had been grabbing her backpack and board, only to then close the locker door and spot Lucas standing beside her. 

 

“What are you a stalker?” She snapped, not even entirely sure why she was so annoyed with him other than she was still bristling from the run for her money he’d made in their social studies class.

 

His expression went from polite to frowning in a split second. 

 

“Stalker? Relax, I just wanted to introduce myself officially. And see if you wanted to maybe hang out with me and my friends but…”

 

Lucas’ voice trailed off and his cool tone conveyed that he was clearly rescinding the invite before even really offering it. Which to be fair, she hadn’t exactly greeted him very nicely. But Max couldn’t bring it in herself to apologize. 

 

She felt like a fish out of water here and it looked like besides El, she wasn’t going to match up with a lot of the kids here. Academics were going to need to be her main focus and while Lucas had been a great motivator in class, she wasn’t sure she wanted the distraction outside of the classroom. Plus they had all seemed like such dorks earlier, there was no way they’d actually have much in common.

 

“Thanks for asking, but I’m good.” She bit her lip as he shrugged and started to walk away.

 

“Suit yourself Zoomer. See you in class. By the way, Ms. Evans likes to do pop quizzes,” he added, turning back around with a mischievous smile. “I’m the only one who always gets them correct every time.”

 

There was a challenge in his voice and from that moment in the hallway on, their rivalry was set. For the next five years they pushed at each other to be the best. Despite teachers telling them to not race on tests, they did (they still always got almost perfect scores). They weren’t allowed to sit next to each other in class to prevent whispered, heated arguments about various topics (some not even related to the class subject). Mr. Waverly, a small hunched over teacher, banned them from debate after they got in a shouting match together. 

 

Over those five years, Max only occasionally wondered what would have happened if she had accepted his invitation to hang out that first day. But there was no way to go back and find out. She was more than content with her best friend El and occasionally Will (the only real mutual friend she had with Lucas), and going into her senior year she was ready for anything.

 

Except it turned out, not getting into fights with Lucas.


	2. Chapter 2

The first week of not being able to argue with Lucas didn’t quite go as planned. But it was at least a start.

 

At the start they struggled with it. They’d jump into the other’s conversation, interrupting them and then choking back their words as they stumbled over the habit. A mumbled apology would sputter out and classmates would look in awe as they allowed the other to finish speaking. Max even waited a good five minutes before turning in one of her quizzes, waiting until Lucas had fully seated himself and begun to read a book before getting up and turning hers in. Her feet had been jittery, anxiously wanting to sprint up and beat him to turning it in. But she didn’t. 

 

It was awkward and horrible.

 

They’d never tried to be friends before, let alone cordial with each other, and it was maddening. 

 

The second week it eased up a bit, but Max still felt the waves of buzzing energy coursing through her. She was a confident person with what she felt was a complete image of herself in her mind. What she hadn’t realized was how much she had built in Lucas being her rival into it. But the polite nods to each other in the hallway came more naturally and their teachers were visibly more relaxed in calling on each of them in class, knowing now that the other wouldn’t immediately jump in either.

 

Her inner competitiveness needed an outlet though and luckily she still had gym class. 

 

Using gym was the perfect way for her to blow off her steam and Max did everything she could to take full advantage of it. Today had been no exception, heightened by the fact that in a month it was going to be when she’d hear back if she had officially been accepted into her dream college, Brown University, after applying through early admission. She could only hope the tension would go away and she wouldn’t be so ready to constantly fight with Lucas, or anyone really.

 

As the last week of September steadily began, the gym locker room temperature matched the cooling ones outside, the presence of fall looming on Hawkins. The increasingly crisp temperatures outside had helped Max today during her run, and she thoroughly felt a sense of relief from it. Heading back into the locker room to change for class, she was more confident than last week that this week would be even easier in getting along with Lucas.

 

In the middle of lacing her boots back up after changing, Max couldn’t help but pick up on the conversation happening beside her. She really didn’t mean to eavesdrop but it was difficult not to. Especially since Jennifer Hayes had a habit of talking as if she wanted everyone to hear what she had to say, regardless if they really did or not.

 

The taller girl was in the process of braiding her hair while her friends finished changing clothes after gym as well. Her baby pink nail polish flashed in and out as her fingers wove through her hair and she seemed nearly giddy.

 

“I’ve already decided who I’m going to Homecoming with,” she was saying with a giggle. 

 

“Aren’t guys supposed to be the one who ask the girls out?” A girl Max was fairly certain was named Hannah asked.

 

At that, Jennifer rolled her eyes.

 

“Not in 2019. I mean sure, some girls might wait but I’m not interested in wasting my time.”

 

Her friends immediately began to press her for a name and Max tried to stay focused on her shoes so that the girls didn’t think she was purposefully listening to them. She and El had already made a pact to just go with each other this year. El was still too nervous to do anything about her crush on Mike Wheeler and Max would have laughed in the face of any one that tried to ask her out. So she wasn’t sure why she was listening so intently to the conversation.

 

Jennifer looked around them, her eyes briefly landing on Max for a moment before leaning in towards her friends.

 

“Lucas Sinclair.”

 

Max nearly echoed Jennifer’s friends in a sound of shock, but managed to choke it back just in time. Her fingers messed up on the shoelaces on her left shoes and she struggled to regrip them.

 

“Isn’t he that really nerdy one? Like in that Dungeons and Dragons group?”

 

“I mean yeah sort of,” Jennifer shrugged. “But nerds are pretty in. Plus he’s not that bad, he’s helped with homework sometimes and he doesn’t treat me like I’m an idiot compared to those other asshole nerds.”

 

“And ever since he started playing lacrosse the other year, he’s even cuter,” a girl named Zoe added in with a grin. 

 

“He’s not going to say yes.”

 

Max didn’t realize she had said it out loud until she felt the stares of all four girls zero in on her. Fuck. She didn’t even know what had compelled her to say it. The tension was increasing though and she haltingly stood up, clutching her binder as a shield in front of her chest.

 

Jennifer stood up as well, frowning now as she eyed Max warily.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

_Well, no backing down now._

 

“I said, he’s not going to say yes,” Max replied back as evenly as possible.

 

“Oh? And you’re some expert on him just because you two bitch each other out in classes?” There was a hint of laughter to Jennifer’s tone but Max could only bristle at the statement.

 

“We motivate each other,” was all she was able to come up with before Jennifer rolled her eyes and stepped closer.

 

“Whatever. You don’t have any claim over him Mayfield.” She was completely serious now, standing right in front of Max. “I don’t know how girls do it in California, but that’s not how we flirt or get with anyone here. Just because you’re too scared to tell him you have a crush on him like a normal human doesn’t mean he’s off limits while you figure it out. Lucas is single, I’m single, and I’m going to ask him to homecoming. Okay?”

 

The tilt in Jennifer’s voice came out as a question with that last word, but it didn’t exactly feel like one.

 

Max was still stuck on what she had said though and when she didn’t respond, Jennifer simply smiled and brushed past her. The other girls, all having watched awkwardly, hurried to catch up. Hannah gave Max a sympathetic grimace but otherwise no one said anything.

 

The bell to switch classes was going to ring any moment, but Max found herself slumping back onto the bench between the lockers.

 

What the hell was Jennifer talking about? A _crush_ on Lucas? 

 

The very idea was absurd.

 

Sure the very first time she had met him she had found him objectively cute, but that didn’t mean anything. The world was filled with cute people without taking their personalities into consideration.

 

He was stubborn and hardheaded. A complete nerd and it didn’t matter that he was becoming somewhat of a jock now. He always had to be right. She could make a list all day long of all of the reason it was ridiculous that Jennifer had assumed that she had a crush on him. He just happened to be the only person who wasn’t afraid to dish it back to her, so she had a begrudging respect for him. This wasn’t second grade though. She didn’t need to pick on him to show she liked him. _Which she didn’t anyway_. She’d just spent the last two weeks learning to be pleasant to him, even as she found herself missing the way they pushed each other in class. There wasn’t any room for her to even imagine having a crush on him.

 

The clanging of the bell to signal the end of class echoed through the empty locker room, breaking Max of her thoughts.

 

With a grumpy huff of breath, she pushed aside the thoughts and made her way back out into the gym to make her way to her calculus class.

 

She did not like Lucas Sinclair. 

 

She also didn’t have an explanation for the way her stomach clenched at the idea of him going to Homecoming with Jennifer, but she knew that she did NOT have a crush on him. 

 

And that was final.

 

* * *

 

“Can you tell me why we’re at a football game, again?” Max grumbled good naturedly.

 

El simply hummed at her in response, her curls dancing around her face as the evening breeze made its way to them. They were standing in line outside of the football field waiting to hand their tickets over to an equally bored looking student and an overly enthusiastic parent next to him in the ticket booth. 

 

When El felt more than saw her best friend’s gaze still leveled on her, she finally turned back.

 

“It’s not _just_ a football game Max, it’s Homecoming. If we’re going to ever go to one of these, it should probably be this one!” Her voice was bright, even as her voice was muffled from the extra large scarf she was wearing. 

 

“We’ll probably lose anyway, we’re not any good,” Max responded with a frown. 

 

It was sadly true. For all of the school spirit that the student body seemed to have, they never seemed to be able to get a winning record for football. Some of the smaller sports had much better luck, but there was something about fall that gave everyone football fever even though their team lost nearly every time. 

 

El waved her hand as if to brush away the fact and Max knew it was too late for them to back out now. If this was something El really wanted, then she supposed they might as well stick around. The smell of the concession stands was enough to improve her mood though and they happily got in another line once they were in. At least this one had food at the end of it. She was paying for her overly salted, giant pretzel and soda when she heard a voice call out their names behind them. 

 

Turning, Max watched as Will Byers gave El a huge hug before leaning over to give her a one-armed one so as not to knock her food out of her hands.

 

“I can’t believe you guys actually came!” 

 

Since meeting him in seventh grade, Max had watched as Will had transformed from a shy, small kid into a taller, lanky confident artist. She wasn’t sure where the height had come from, but he was luckily still the same old Will that she and El adored. 

 

“Well it is Homecoming after all,” Max said amused, winking at El who smiled happily. 

 

“Is Carter playing tonight?” El in turn asked as she accepted her hot dog. The three began to make their way to the bleachers, the food warming their hands as the night air cooled.

 

Will blushed, shoving his hands deeper in the large letterman jacket he was wearing with the last name DAVIS on the back. He’d met Carter in the spring last year and after a tentative summer of hanging out, had finally gotten the courage to ask him out at the Fourth of July parade in the town of Hawkins. The artist and the jock was almost too good of a cliche to be real life, but Carter had ended up being really sweet and a big fan of economics to make him just nerdy enough to be accepted by Will’s friends. Plus, he was head over heels for Will so it was hard to say no to someone who treated him so well. 

 

“He should be yeah. He’s been really careful all week in training so as not to get injured so he can play tonight. Especially since it’s his last one and he’s not playing in college, so it’s a big one for him.”

 

Max didn’t say out loud how she didn’t think _any_ of the players at their school were going to be good enough to play in college. Instead, she slipped her arm through Will’s and let him talk more about the supposed chances that the Tigers had to win. His conversation carried them across the area behind the bleachers and around them, entering the bright lights of the stadium. It was of modest size, a reflection of their status – a wealthy boarding school but one that had a bad football team. All of the right things, but none of the size or grandeur of other top athletic schools. 

 

The bleachers were fairly full to Max’s surprise, highlighting that it wasn’t just El who had experienced a wave of nostalgia for a good old-fashioned fall football game. The majority of the students had even shown up in maroon or navy, creating a muted wave of colors with only pockets of bright green that their rival and visiting team that night, Woodside Academy. As the smell of fall and the grilling from the concessions tickled Max’s nose, she was thankful she had agreed to come with El tonight.

 

Her moment paused as she nearly ran into Will as he stopped in front of one of the sections in the bleachers. She quickly picked up on why, her eyes first spotting Lucas before picking up on the sight of Dustin and Mike alongside him.

 

Will waved to get their attention before beginning to make his way up the steps. He quickly realized that he was alone though and he spun on the heels of his Converse and spotted the two girls frozen at the base.

 

“You’ve got to come sit with us,” Will said, his brow furrowed as he looked at the two girls who quickly looked at each other at his offer.

 

For El, there was that moment of panic of having to sit with her crush of a couple years. She’d been too nervous to say anything to him even though their time at Hawkins was drawing to a close. And of course he was such a nerd, he _also_ couldn’t manage to say anything even though Max would have bet any amount of money on the fact that he liked her best friend back. 

 

For Max, it was knowing that Lucas would be there. And the risk of their delicate balance coming crashing down around her. This week _had_ been easier than the first two. But that was in the classroom and this would be the first time they hung out together outside of it. Ever. Which was impressive seeing as how except for the summer, they _lived_ on campus together. Even if it was just for a game, it felt like a big step. Her brain spun around all the possible scenarios of bad outcomes, but the hopeful look on Will’s face was enough to make her hesitate on a positive outcome. What better way to prove that she and Lucas could be above just fighting with each other and show Hopper that they could still be valedictorians? 

 

So she shoved her nerves aside and nodded, accepting his offer to join the guys.

 

Will let out a whoop of excitement, oblivious to the conflict that had taken over Max, and began to lead them up to the bleachers.

 

Max’s heart thudded nervously as they climbed up higher. Jennifer’s face on Monday, and her words, swam in her vision and she swallowed nervously. She was terrified that she would resort to arguing with Lucas again after all of their hard work – all because of a dumb comment made by someone that didn’t even know her.

 

Lucas seemed equally surprised at the sight of her, cutting off his conversation as his eyes took her in. Max nearly turned and ran back down the bleachers but she held her ground. Plus, she thought to herself as she bit back a smirk, it was fun shocking him into silence. 

 

With a rush of bravery, El dropped down into the open space next to Mike, giving him a gentle smile that he immediately returned with his own sappy grin. Will followed her and sat down on the other side.

 

And Max was left panicking in the aisle. 

 

Fuck fuck fuck.

 

It would be really weird if she didn’t do the most natural thing and sit down with Lucas and Dustin. It would be obvious and petty. 

 

Doing her best to not show her internal freak out, she pushed herself to climb one more step up and slide in next to Lucas. Dustin’s eyes noticably flicked between her and Lucas, as if waiting for one of them to snap at the other. Instead, Lucas shuffled over a couple inches to give her some more room and she settled herself onto the bleacher.

 

The hardest part was out of the way.

 

Luckily, the past couple of weeks of tolerating each other helped them stumble through a handful of awkward conversations. The game began and as everyone wrapped up eating their food, everything seemed to slip into a normal atmosphere. Occasionally they each said hi to fellow classmates as they took seats around them. Mike ran off to get more popcorn after insisting on El having the rest of his. Following football wasn’t necessarily easy for Max but she had a decent understanding of it, and she realized how much she liked hearing Lucas’ hushed running commentary under his breath. 

 

As the evening grew dark and the stadium lights flicked on, Max found herself fully relaxed into the game. Lucas’ knee had even bumped into hers and she hadn’t reacted at all (minus an odd flutter of her heart that she had a feeling wouldn’t be explained in science class).

 

A commotion drew all of their attention down towards the bottom of the bleachers. It was nearing the halftime and the game was surprisingly close. A shorter boy with a shock of white blonde hair was shouting at their rivals, heckling the other fans in the crowd. Max rolled her eyes, even as she chuckled a bit at some of the more clever ones. Except for the handful she was sitting with, she was more than ready to be done with high school boys. They watched as Flo came up and nearly had to wrestle him out of the stadium, her lecture floating above the cheers about how _Hawkins Preparatory students were expected to display decorum at all times, in and out of the classroom._

 

“I can’t believe you used to have a crush on Zach!” El whispered with a laugh and Max groaned and shook her head with a pained smile.

 

“God I can’t either!” She giggled back, laughing at her past self. She hadn’t been her brightest at age fourteen, that was for sure. It had been a phase where she’d been interested in blondes, something she’d thankfully gotten over relatively quickly. Good to know that Zach was just as immature now as he had been then.

 

Next to her, Lucas let out a snort. Looking over at him curiously, he turned it into a cough and shrugged.   


“He’s an ass. It’s weird picturing you liking him,” was all he responded.

 

Max felt a flush creep onto her cheeks. “What’s that mean?”  


Squirming now on the bleachers, Lucas seemed to wrestle with his thoughts. She didn’t miss the way Mike’s eyes widened expectantly at his friend either.

 

“You're actually a really nice person and he’s just a jerk. You’d have deserved better,” he finally said, his eyes flicking to hers and then back to the field. A grin slowly formed on her face at the admittance from him, and when he realized she was still staring, he rubbed at his neck and let out an embarrassed chuckle. “You know I’m still capable of knowing you’re a good person Max, even if it’s not directed at me all of the time.”

 

The side-eyed glance he gave her with a wry smile, accompanied by his statement, was enough to make her stop while she fully blushed, resituating herself. 

 

It wasn’t that she didn’t think she was a nice person, it was just odd hearing something like that come from Lucas. The way he said it so off the cuff, that he had noticed it about her. Something about it gave her a warm feeling throughout her body. To his credit, she knew Lucas was nice too even if the two of them preferred to spar. He was fiercely loyal to his friends and she had seen him interacting with who she assumed was his younger sister and her friends. She glanced at him again, watching as he steadfastly refused to look away from the game.

 

“You’re nice too,” she blurted out, surprising even herself.

 

Lucas choked out and awkward laugh and mumbled a thanks, his eyes landing on her long enough to make her blush again.

 

In front of them, Mike groaned.

 

“What I would give for you two to act like normal people around each other.”

 

He received a quick jab in the back from Lucas’ knee, but Mike simply smirked at him and turned back to quietly chat with El. 

 

“What are the odds he gets kicked out of the Homecoming dance?” Dustin’s eyebrows wiggled as he grinned mischievously at Lucas and Max. 

 

Lucas shook his head with a laugh. “More like, what are the odds of how early he’s kicked out. There’s no way he lasts the whole night.” 

 

“What are your guys’ plan for Homecoming?” El asked excitedly, turning in her seat on the bleachers to face inwards.

 

“I’m going with Carter,” Will supplied with a thrilled expression on his face. “He’s letting me pick out the colors for our ties since he’s essentially color blind.”

 

“As any good boyfriend would do,” she responded with mock solemness. 

 

Lucas nodded towards the other two. “I think we’re just going to go stag and hang out for a bit. Definitely not staying the whole time either, you never know how good the music will be.”

 

“I heard Jennifer was going to ask you,” Max added casually, keeping her tone as conversational as possible. It didn’t really matter if the two went together, but she had felt a similar sensation in her gut thinking about it just like earlier that week in the locker room.

 

Letting a genuine laugh out, Lucas shook his head. 

 

“She did — I said no though. I mean, she’s fine and all. I’ve known her since first grade though and she never gave me, or any of us, the light of day. I don’t see why just because I play lacrosse now I’m suddenly interesting.” He said it all lightheartedly, followed by empathetic nods from Dustin, Mike, and Will. It still all stung Max the wrong way.

 

“Yeah I had a huge crush on her old friend Stacy, she was a year older than us. They used to all laugh at us. I get that people can change but…” Dustin shrugged as way of ending his statement. 

 

Max battled the rising sense of superiority rising up in her. It was dumb. _But it was satisfying_. She did her best to not look smug, sinking back into the conversation about how without fail, Headmaster Hopper would do a really dorky dance and then El would be mortified. As it was then slipping into talking about their hopeful college choices, Max felt someone’s gaze on her. She hesitantly glanced up, only to see Dustin eyeing her curiously. He had an odd expression on his face but when they made eye contact, he began to grin and flicked his stare over to Lucas before back to her.

 

Frowning, Max did her best to shrug it off and focus on what Mike was saying.

 

Ignoring it was obviously the best decision.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two nerds huh? I'm really having a lot of fun writing this dynamic between the two of them!!
> 
> I ended up posting this chapter a little earlier than I had planned on initially. I'm going to be out of town starting tomorrow through the weekend so my writing is going to be paused, so I figured better to get this up now! Also by the time I come back, the new season will be BACK! Seriously can't believe it's already here!!! Hoping that helps kick me into gear with other fics as well, and maybe helps keep improving my characterizations of them! I hope you all enjoy the season and I'll be back once all of the dust settles!


	3. Chapter 3

Max didn’t ever enjoy admitting that she was wrong. 

 

There were a million stories she could think of from when she was younger, but the most glaring one was one that she was currently experiencing. One that had crept its way into her mind since the Homecoming football game and since the dance had single-handedly smacked her in the face. And she was having to admit that she had been wrong.

 

She wouldn’t admit it even in complete words to herself, but Max was in the process of accepting that she might actually like Lucas.

 

Like a lot.

 

Like more than a friend.

 

_ God. Damn it. _

 

The relief she’d felt at the game, when he told her that he had rejected Jennifer, had been difficult to push away. The knowing look that Dustin had given her was all too understanding and her stomach had twisted up into knots. The rest of the game had felt like an odd blur. The stress that had been weighing down on her had lessened, somehow making everything feel clearer and lighter. It had been with ease that she’d found herself cheering alongside her friends, all of them screaming as Carter narrowly ran in a touchdown. Even when she and Lucas had begun to argue during halftime, over something she’s not even sure she can remember, they’d been laughing the whole time. Their friends were no doubt relieved, and the tension from not fighting in classes was starting to dissipate. 

 

As puffs of air escaped his mouth, rubbing his hands together to generate warmth with a wide smile on his face, Lucas had completely stolen her focus and she’d nearly missed the game winning field goal. 

 

The frenzy of emotions she was battling nearly took over while at the dance too. There was a war in her head between the two images of Lucas she had in her mind. Stubborn, frustrating Lucas that she had spent the last few years constantly fighting with. And then the funny Lucas, who was honest and open if just a bit serious-minded. 

 

It wasn’t something she felt like she could open to El about. Not that it was El’s fault – she and El talked about their feelings all of the time. In fact directly after the game, after saying goodbye and heading back to their dorms, El had admitted she was finally accepting the idea that Mike might like her back and the two of them talked about it the rest of the night. But Max was scared to admit to El that she was beginning to like Lucas (maybe even always had). She was afraid of the look that her best friend would give her. That no-shit-you-like-him-I-could-have-told-you-that look and then Max would feel ridiculous for having wasted so much time.

 

Crushes were stupid.

 

Boys were stupid. 

 

All of this boiled down to that Max arrived at the Homecoming dance with El with her secret pushed deep within her mind. 

 

The walk across the campus grounds a cool one, the mid-October evening creating a scattering on goosebumps on Max’s arms until they reached the building the dance was being held in. She wasn’t even sure the theme, having not paid any attention to it whatsoever. There wasn’t even much time for her to analyze their surroundings either before she heard a shout and El was tugging her towards the party of guys. 

 

_ When exactly had they become such a group together? _ The question burned in Max’s mind as they all took a chance to catch up since the game, admiring each of their looks for the night. Even at a boarding school, most of the time they looked like regular students in their uniforms or they were lazy and just wore whatever the hell they wanted to on weekends.

 

Max did her best to not focus on how well Lucas cleaned up in a suit. 

 

As dances go, it wasn’t completely the worst. It felt like everyone was experiencing a nostalgia revival so there was a lot of 80s music to listen to, much better than what they had played last year. However it was the slow songs that made it awkward. Somewhere deep inside him, Mike pulled out some courage and asked El to dance with him. It was sickenly adorable and Max couldn’t help but smile at the happiness that was radiating from her best friend. Neither of them seemed to know what they were doing, but it was cute nonetheless. 

 

Will and Carter of course danced together and as usual they were the perfect couple. Their coordinating suites were impressive and apparently all of that hard work on the football field made Carter light on his feet. 

 

Amongst all of the sappiness though, and with Dustin taking off to get more punch for all of them, it meant that she was left behind with Lucas. And when you’re standing next to someone who you’re pretty sure you might have a crush on, but who you’re pretty sure doesn’t feel that way back and just sees you as a rival, it’s not that fun.

 

If Lucas had felt the oddness he didn’t say anything. He kept the conversation light and they half-heartedly debated potential Oscar movies, though they didn’t come to blows about it like they might have once done. They were both leaning against the brick wall and Max fought her gaze from continually staying on him, watching the purple lights dance on his cheekbones, and instead forcing herself to focus on the crowd in front of them. Her body felt like it was thrumming with anxiousness and also an intense need to just see what it would be like to hold his hand.

 

_ Good lord she needed to get a grip on herself. _

 

They were saved though once the faster songs came back on, anthems that had the room shaking with everyone jumping up and down and singing along. 

 

Pulled back into the crush of dancing students, Max felt her hair slowly come undone from the updo she had attempted to put it up in. They belted songs at the top of their lungs and at one point her shoulders brushed Lucas’ and she was pretty sure it couldn’t get better than this.

 

At least until she noticed some of the other girls around them, a handful of them checking Lucas out. As the dance progressed, they’d swing over and chat with him. The way he smiled so easily with them made the punch in her stomach turn upside down. She was so used to constantly talking and arguing with him that she had never really noticed him interacting with other girls, outside her and El. And as the night came to a close, she realized that she hadn’t ever even imagined him being interested in someone. Someone who maybe wouldn’t like how much they talked or communicated (okay: argued) with each other. Without their usual back and forth between each other, it opened him up to other possibilities and she didn’t know what to do with that information. 

 

* * *

 

Now she was beginning to have a new struggle in not arguing with him. Because it was the only way she knew how to keep his attention to talk to him. 

 

She didn’t know how to flirt, to be coy. To turn the tables on how they’d interacted since her very first day of school here. Therefore, all she could think to do was fall back into her old habits, in fear that he’d slowly stop talking to her if she was just normal around him and then he’d find a prettier, sweeter girlfriend than her and completely ignore her.

 

Better to be rivals than strangers. 

 

The first time she interrupted him again in class with a snarky side comment, Lucas’ face was completely taken over in surprise and she felt her stomach twist. She’d immediately backtracked and mumbled some sort of vague apology, but it was haphazard and rough. He’d not made eye contact with her the rest of class.

 

In their English class, she might have gone a little too intense on editing his paper. But part of her told herself that they were fair edits and the better he made this paper, the better for him academically. The argument they had afterwards in the hallway indicated she maybe could have been a little bit more polite with her phrasing.

 

As they were interrupted by their teacher, who pulled them apart with a sigh, Max couldn’t miss the annoyed expression on Lucas’ face. Frustration. It sucked to see but it also meant that when the next class came, he sat down right next to her and said under his breath,  _ “furthermore” _ before launching into why she wrong about his conclusion. Max was torn the entire time, finding herself selfishly happy that he was focused on her but also the intense feeling of self-loathing that she couldn’t admit to herself, or him, how she really felt.

 

If she could just gather her courage up, screw pride and years of rivalry, she could maybe instead be holding his hand underneath the table. Making plans to use the school’s charter bus to go into town to see a movie that weekend.

 

She may be at the top of the class in school, but clearly processing her feelings was not something that she was good at.

 

Which was why, when Hopper reluctantly informed her that Hawkins Prep was no longer involved with helping with the town’s Halloween Festival for local children, Max burst into tears. 

 

Jim Hopper was many things, but handling heart to heart moments was  _ not _ one of them, so Max did her best to convince him that she was fine before hurrying out of his office. Once she was in the hallway, thankfully empty, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing.

 

_ So stupid. _ Who cried over a local festival with kids? 

 

Her breath came out shallow, shuddering. The stress from waiting for college acceptances, mixed with this awful struggle with Lucas, and then finally this. The final blow to her fall semester. Max fought to keep the tears at bay but more began to leak out, hot and burning against her skin. 

 

It was just Halloween. She needed to grow up and not get so upset over something so… so childish. She was being ridiculous.

 

Luckily only one person passed at the end of the hallway, no one else other than Hopper to witness her meltdown. Hiccups from fighting back tears subsiding, Max gulped in air and tried to focus on getting back to the safety of her room. Seven minutes. It would only take her seven minutes to cross the campus to get to her room and if she pulled her hair out of the two braids it was currently in, she’d be able to hide her face from everyone.

 

Max took a shuddering breath, doing her best to find the balance between squaring her shoulders up and also shrinking into herself, prepared to head back to her place. Which would have gone well if she had immediately turned around and nearly walked into the last (and maybe first) person she wanted to see right now.

 

“Whoa, you okay there Max?” Lucas’ hand hesitantly touched her arm as he steadied her.

 

“Fine. I’m fine.”

 

“Not to be an asshole, but you really don’t seem fine.”

 

_ A beat. _

 

“Kind of an asshole thing to say.”

 

“Max, just tell me what’s wrong.”

 

She sighed, eyeing him wearily before launching into her explanation. 

 

“I… I went to go ask Hopper why the sign up forms weren’t out for the Halloween Festival. I’ve done it every year since I started here. I guess there hasn’t been as much interest this year so the administration is scrapping it. Which is bullshit because it’s a good cause too, not just for costumes. The kids in Hawkins don’t always have a lot of money––”  _ her voice cracked as memories of her own childhood Halloween surfaced _ “––and having us go down and volunteer helps give them a chance to really enjoy it. We can all afford cool candy and a Saturday off. Plus it always made it easier for the festival, not having to worry about having enough volunteers.”

 

She hadn’t meant to go off like that, having planned on just a simple couple of sentences. But it hurt too damn much. She knew it was weird to love Halloween so much, but she did. The sight of how happy the kids were when they came up to the booths. The relief on the parents’ faces as their children got to participate in activities and games.

 

Logically, she knew the festival was going to continue without the students of Hawkins Prep. But missing out on that experience hurt more than she had wanted to admit to herself. More tears stung at the corner of her eyes and she furiously wiped them away.

 

“You know it’s okay to cry,” Lucas said gently.

 

“Not in my house,” she muttered before she could help herself. She would have told herself that he hadn’t heard her, but she saw the way his lips pursed and his brow furrowed at her words. To his credit though, he didn’t say anything.

 

“It’s not dumb to be upset about something that you love,” he finally said. “I know Halloween means a lot to you.”

 

She nodded glumly, glancing up at him. He’d never gone to any of the festivals in the previous years, but she supposed she talked about Halloween enough normally to make him aware of how much it was her favorite holiday. Which meant that he listened to her. Her hands went clammy at the memory of his disappointment at their return to arguing in class.

 

“I’ve been a bitch to you. Why are you still nice to me?”

 

She meant to spit the words out. She needed him to be mad at her, not look at her with those eyes of his that held a softness that made her feel safe and protected. Cared for.

 

“So have I.”

 

“Not as much as I have.”

 

“Stop martyring yourself. I’ve been awful to you as well.”

 

“I initiated all of this though. It’s my fault.”

 

“I’m not going to have a bitch-off with you, Mayfield.”

 

He snapped a bit with those words but he was still looking at her in a way that made her want to crumble, to fall into his arms and let him hold her until she felt okay again. But then a small smile began to crack on his face, the frown twitching as it changed. 

 

Max felt a matching smile grow on her face, the tears drying on her face.

 

_ Only they could argue about who was being worse than the other, each trying to pin the blame on themselves. _

 

“That’s fair. I think I’m going to head back to my room, maybe watch a horror movie and I don’t know, take a nap or something.”

 

Lucas was still smiling at her, now a full blown one, and she found hers was as well. 

 

“Thanks for letting me talk to you,” she added quickly, not wanting him to think that him being there for her didn’t matter. 

 

“Anytime, Mad Max.”

 

* * *

 

While most seniors had taken to sneaking alcohol onto Hawkins Prep’s campus, spending their Friday nights partying and reveling in lazy supervision. El and Max hadn’t fallen into that group of people, instead spending the evening each on their own laptops, with El catching up on her favorite soap operas and Max on her favorite true crime podcasts. Which meant that when Saturday morning came, a quintessential fall day with overcast skies and skittering leaves, Max was a lot more clear headed than most of her classmates. And she fully planned to take advantage of it and spread out all of her work at the library so that she could focus on the research paper she had to do for her history class. Quiet time at the library was practically a religious experience for her: rewriting her notes, making edits to papers, curling up in oversized chairs and reading for hours.

 

Max had barely made it out of her room though when she was practically knocked over by a tiny brunette girl, who was speed walking past her door at a pace all too quickly for so early on a Saturday morning. 

 

“Oh! Sorry Max!” 

 

She was pretty sure the girl’s name was Suzie, but she wasn’t completely positive. She smiled and started to walk past her, but the girl stopped her before she could get too far.

 

“Have you signed the petition for the Halloween Festival this year? I remember you did a great job managing the pumpkin carving contest last year, I was surprised to not see your name on the list,” Suzie rambled, pushing her glasses up distractedly and looking at Max as if they were good friends.

 

Max mumbled something in response, but felt her confusion growing.

 

“Petition?”

 

Suzie nodded excitedly, thrusting a stack of papers on a clipboard at Max, something she had completely failed to notice until now.

 

“Yeah! Word got out that the administration didn’t want to bother this year, but someone got this going around and pretty much everyone has signed it. The guys all got it first so I’ve been going around and getting the last of the girls to sign it! It’s so exciting, I’ve already heard that Hop might change his mind since the turnout is going to be leagues better than the past couple years.”

 

Max is pretty sure Suzie is saying something else, but she’s flipping through the pages, practically in a trance. As much as she didn’t remember this girl very well, she was right about the small turnout last year. While most students here were relatively driven, taking the extra time to go volunteer in town wasn’t as common as it should have been. Especially for Halloween, which Max had discovered to her dismay, was not as popular here as it had been back home in California. She’d essentially lead the charge each year, but she would have never considered the possibility of getting a petition together. Tht it would be able to get this many signatures.

 

Her eyes flicked over name after name, startled at the amount.

 

Some she recognized, a lot she didn’t. 

 

Eventually she realized that Suzie was staring at her expectantly. Scrambling for her backpack, Max quickly pulled out a pen and scribbled her name on the next empty line before handing it back. She was in a daze from that moment in the hallway, all of the way to the library and into her favorite seat.

 

She put all of her stuff out on the table as usual. Her pens just so, her notebooks open to a clean page. Her stack of books to cite in the paper stacked in the order that they were most useful in. But her mind was elsewhere.

 

_ Who had thought to do a petition for the Halloween festival?  _

 

It would have had to have been someone who had an interest in the festival, which to be fair, could have been a decently sized group of people. But who knew enough people to get that many signatures? She wasn’t even sure how many people knew that the administration decided not to participate this year. 

 

It bugged her all morning no matter how hard she tried to focus on her work. Reprieve finally came in the arrival of El a couple hours later, two coffees and a bag of pastries in hand from the school’s coffee kiosk stand over by admissions. 

 

“You’re better than Wonder Woman,” Max breathed out as she happily took the coffee closest to her and inhaled the steam and aroma wafting from it.

 

El grinned and slid into the chair across from her, pulling out her own notebooks and textbooks. As usual for her, she’d saved her math homework for last since it was her least favorite subject.

 

Max leaned over the table, glancing around them first.

 

“Did Suzie corner you about the petition?”

 

“For the Halloween Festival?” El swallowed her oversized bite of the blueberry scone. “Yep! I actually ended up running into my dad afterwards too. He saw the amount of signatures and it’s pretty much guaranteed that it’s going to happen.”

 

Max did a silent fist pump, careful to not be too loud so as to draw the attention of the cranky librarian. Then she paused, her confusion coming back to her from earlier.

 

“Wait, do you know how Suzie got the petition?”

 

“Dustin gave it to her, I'm pretty sure. They have calculus together I think.”

 

“...how did Dustin get it?”  _ This was just getting weirder. _

 

“Lucas obviously, he was the one––”

 

El’s eyes widened and she immediately shoved another bite of the scone in her mouth. Max’s heart felt like it stopped as she stared unblinkingly at El. 

 

“El,” she said, her voice a low warning.

 

Her best friend let out a high pitched hum around the food in her mouth, flipping open her textbook and determinedly not looking up. 

 

“EL!” Max hissed, ignoring the glare from the librarian. “Lucas was  _ what _ ?”

 

She knew though. She knew from the panicked look on El’s face for revealing a secret she clearly shouldn’t have said. If it wasn’t for the fact that she wouldn’t have guessed it in a million years, it made complete sense. He had been the first person she had told, and she hadn’t really told many other people since then. He had been the one to see her crying about it, trying to hide how much it had meant to her. He had told her how much he knew it meant to her.

 

_ Obviously it had been Lucas to organize all of it. _

 

“You’re not supposed to know,” El pleaded, equally ignoring the now vocal shush coming from the librarian. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but you weren’t ever supposed to find out he had set it up. I only know because he had asked me if you were going to try and do one, and I had told him that you hadn’t mentioned it. Don’t be mad at him, please.”

 

Max knew the last statement was made with an old version of the two of them in El’s mind. The bickering rivals who couldn’t be in the same room together. Not the pair who were slowly warming to each other, and certainly not the Max that found herself struggling to acknowledge just how much of a crush on him she had and that she’d like to maybe kiss him at some point if he was okay with that. 

 

No, she wasn’t mad at him. Not all.

 

Instead she felt like butterflies were racing through her stomach, all while a giddiness spread throughout her body. She found herself smiling so much her cheeks hurt. She could have laughed from this odd sense of relief that she was experiencing.

 

The feeling carried her throughout the rest of the morning and into the dining hall as she and El went to go get lunch. It was to El’s surprise that Max encouraged the two of them to join the guys at a table, spotting them from across the room. Dustin and Mike gave the two of them odd glances and Lucas was decidedly focused on his sandwich instead of looking at Max.

 

Once she knew the others were deep in conversation, Max turned to Lucas. 

 

“So it sounds like the festival is on after all.”

 

“That’s great!” His voice was overly bright and even if she hadn’t known the truth, it would have been obvious something was up. She knew him too well for that.

 

But rather than drag it out, make him feel uncomfortable, she allowed herself to just quickly give his hand a small squeeze.

 

“Thank you,” she said as softly as she could, giving him a small smile.

 

The blush and clear mortification he’d been beginning to experience subsided and he grinned proudly, ducking his head a bit and mumbled about it being no problem and something about doing it for the kids.

 

She coughed. “How about an official truce, Stalker?”

 

He looked down at her outreached hand and solemnly shook it. 

 

“Truce.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’ALL. Season three!!!!! I actually used Max’s characterization in the new season to kind of fuel this chapter. She’s such a reactionary person and while really good at cheering up her friends, she’s not as great in figuring out the romantic end of things. Since her and Lucas aren’t together at this point in the fic, I thought I’d translate it into her not knowing how to express how she feels to him so she panics and resorts to arguing with him again. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!! Feel free to hit me up on Tumblr to chat about Lumax or the new season or whatever! I’m also currently celebrating reaching 800 followers over there if you want to check out [the celebration I’m doing for it](https://she-who-the-river-could-not-hold.tumblr.com/post/186257828654/she-who-the-river-could-not-hold-im-so-excited).


	4. Chapter 4

Max hadn’t been sure what a truce between her and Lucas would like. An  _ official _ truce. Not one created with the threat of losing out on being named Valedictorian over their head. One that they came to on their own. 

 

It turned out that she liked it a lot.

 

Working as rivals, they’d been able to push themselves to be faster and smarter than the other one in each of their classes. When they worked together, they were unstoppable. They took over one of the tables in the library every afternoon and dove into their studying and their homework. It turned out (unsurprisingly) that they both loved micromanaging their schedules, so they set up a study schedule to start prepping for their finals. That meant that outside of class they were seeing each other even more than normal and old Max would have been stunned by how much Max enjoyed seeing Lucas essentially every day.

 

Sometimes she even let him use her skateboard on their way back to the dormitories, but then El spotted them one time and Max had nearly dug herself a grave. According to El, sharing her skateboard was practically a declaration of love and she did NOT have time to unpack that statement.

 

But beyond that, Max and Lucas took their switch from enemies to friends in stride.

 

The only problem that came with it was that Max was undeniably head over heels for him and she couldn’t even pretend to deny it anymore. 

 

And just maybe he didn’t feel that differently from her. 

 

She didn’t want to make any type of assumption about his feelings – not only was it impossible to know what guys were ever thinking, but she also wasn’t even going to let herself get too deep into her own feelings. But regardless of how much she fought against it, she couldn't shake their moment in the hallway. Him following up by essentially getting the whole school to volunteer for the festival because  _ she _ was so hurt. It was impossible to untangle that from her mind. The scale of what he had done, for something others would have perceived as insignificant, wasn’t lost on her.

 

The Halloween Festival had been a hit, and Lucas’ initiative had everything to do with it. Long buses had pulled up with clamoring students, abuzz with excitement for the day. She had nearly been floating the entire way over, crammed in next to El on a seat with the boys in front of them. Costuming had been limited since they couldn’t get too scary (something that mainly only really hindered Max), but it was still awesome. El had gone with a simple mime costume and Max had instead opted for an ugly Halloween sweater she had found at a thrift store the previous year, along with her spiderweb themed leggings and scuffed Doc Martens. It was over the top and she definitely saw Jennifer rolling her eyes at it, but whatever. At least she wasn’t a cat every year. Plus, it was always a hit with the kids and Lucas even went out of his way to compliment so she was more than happy.

 

Blue skies and light breezes had made the crunch of leaves underfoot the cherry on top for a perfect fall day. With easily triple as many students than normal volunteering, the booths were teeming with people. 

 

Just like last year, Max took over the pumpkin carving station. The biggest difference though was that this year, she had twice the help. Dustin had excitedly joined in on it (though him brandishing carving tools made her a little nervous). And there were three other students too, a girl from the volleyball team and some guy that Dustin knew from a class. This booth was usually one of the easier ones to manage since not a lot of the younger kids came over to it, the sharp tools a valid deterrent. So it just meant that usually middle school kids arrived with their parents and it wasn’t as crazy as the face painting booth. Will was a saint for doing that.

 

The biggest difference though, beyond actually having enough help, was the sight of Lucas just across the way. He was helping with bobbing for apples, energetically cheering on kids (and the occasional adult) as they dunked their faces into the water.  

 

She wasn’t sure where he had been last year; they had still been in the depths of their rivalry and he probably hadn’t even crossed her mind that day. But now she couldn’t help the continuous glances his way. She watched as he laughed and smiled, the mustard yellow flannel he was wearing perfect for the late fall day. Girls had sometimes mentioned the idea of seeing boys with kids being something that made them more attractive, but Max was pretty sure seeing Lucas surrounded by warm autumnal colors, pumpkins, and general Halloween decor was enough for her. 

 

The best part was when they’d catch each other’s eyes at the same time though. His grin would widen ever so slightly, nodding towards her. Other times he’d give her a thumbs up for a pumpkin that she had helped with, or she’d mime the latest clumsy person who’d been struggling to grab an apple. 

 

At one point he even snagged a caramel apple for her, bringing it over to her booth and hanging out while he was on break. They argued about candy corn (rationally Max knew it was just sugar, but Lucas’ adamant refusal to like them made her extra stubborn). They compared feelings on their favorite scary movies to watch (turned out they had similar taste). Away from seasonal topics they had their usual talk about college and classes, but Max was having too hard of a time focusing.

 

He was just really ridiculously cute and it was unfair.

 

Even at one point, Mayor Kline popped up and enthusiastically thanked Headmaster Hopper for the great turnout and insisted that if any of the students who remained on campus close to Christmas wanted to volunteer for the town’s Christmas Celebration, he’d be more than happy to sign as many volunteer hours as necessary. 

 

Watching the overly exuberant, and somewhat slimy mayor, interact with the clearly uncomfortable, gruff headmaster was entertainment enough for everyone and it had them all imitating the interaction long into the day. 

 

El was even sly on the bus ride back, slipping in next to Mike and Will and leaving Max next to Lucas. She’d given her best friend a half-hearted glare but couldn’t suppress the happiness she was experiencing. The group made plans as a whole for Halloween itself and Max had a feeling this was going to be the best one yet. 

 

It felt like an overload of emotions to be honest. She supposed at any time processing a crush could be difficult, especially when you went to a boarding school with them. But Lucas’ involvement with the Halloween Festival and helping her with academics, her two favorite things, was almost too much. It couldn’t be healthy for someone to feel this many butterflies when they saw someone smile. She felt like she was in some type of teen romantic comedy. It was unfair of the universe to make her realize her feelings and to have Lucas be so perfect during the fall.

 

There was too much of  _ everything _ for her right now. Balancing being head over heels for someone and schoolwork and the anxiety about college wasn’t something she was confident in.

 

* * *

 

The first week of November brought with it a drop in temperatures, but no snow in sight. The trees, shivering without their leaves, were a stark contrast against the perpetually gray sky. There seemed to be a constant cloud cover that cast a monotone color on everything around it. Even the red brick of Hawkins Prep seemed to darken and lose its vibrancy and the grass paled around the grounds.

 

Winter was by far Max’s least favorite season and even after all of this time, she still hadn’t fully adjusted to the transition of weather. Even fall at least had the bright warm colors that came with it, even if it wasn’t as nice as summer. 

 

Oh well, at least there wasn’t any snow yet.

 

The lack of snow was good for another reason too, as it was the first morning of the week when acceptance letters would be arriving and she was currently sitting outside waiting for the mailman to arrive.

 

She knew this was excessive. 

 

She’d be able to check her mail after school like every other normal student here.

 

Classes had already started and instead of using her study hall to go over her notes to cram for her history final, she had pleaded an upset stomach and rushed out of the room. It only took a quick glance around her before she ducked out of one of the side doors and into the outdoors. She’d attempted to bundle up as much as possible, but sitting on the cold concrete steps reminded her that she probably should have brought a blanket to sit on. 

 

Just when she was wondering if she should give up, Max heard a commotion behind her.

 

Turning around, she watched as Lucas righted himself, gingerly holding two cups of coffee in front of him. Though it seemed he had successfully prevented himself from spilling any of it and she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her.

 

“Nice one,” she commented as he rolled his eyes. It was lighthearted though and their grins echoed each other as he took a seat next to her.

 

“I figured I could wait for the mail with you,” he explained as he handed her one of the cups. “Odds are good my fate could come at any point this week.” 

 

“You followed me once saw me leave class didn’t you?”

 

Lucas snorted and mumbled some sort of excuse.

 

It didn’t matter though. A fluttering in her chest, one that had been there the moment she had spotted him, persisted at the idea that he had immediately known what she was doing. If it had been anyone else, it would have been scary how in sync they were with each other. But it wasn’t because it was Lucas. With him it made her smile like a lovestruck idiot.

 

Which she supposed she might be.

 

To hide her smile, she took a sip of the piping hot coffee, her lips lingering on the white cup as she inhaled the aroma. It instantly warmed her and she had already forgotten how cold she had been before Lucas’ arrival. It also hadn’t taken her very long to realize that he had gotten her coffee exactly how she liked it: no cream and absolutely too much sugar. She tried to remember a time she had told him what it was and could only come to the conclusion that there was one time they had shouted at each other by the coffee kiosk in the common room the other year and she’d paused just long enough to make herself a cup. 

 

But she supposed she knew exactly what his was as well: coffee with exactly one packet of sugar and enough cream to make it a milky tan color. 

 

As pretentious and rigorous students as they were, neither of them quite could get the whole straight black coffee thing that so many others embraced.

 

They sat in silence next to each other and while even just a few months ago it would have been one filled with tension, this time was it was comfortable. It was still early and they let the morning wash over them as they waited. The coffee in her hands warmed her as well as the heat radiating off of Lucas who was sitting cross-legged next to her. 

 

All of those years bickering had now given them a level of comfort with each other. It was odd to think how much of that had translated into actually understanding each other, but it had. 

 

Eventually though, their moment was broken by the one thing that Max didn’t mind.

 

Their usual mailman, an awkward man named Callahan with crooked glasses, was walking up the long brick walkway up to the building. Spotting them, he gave them a wave as the two scrambled to their feet.

 

“Waiting for me?” He asked teasingly, already looking in his bag. 

 

They both rambled for a moment about college acceptance letters, their voices overlapping in excitement. Callahan nodded distractingly as he listened, sifting through the piles of letters in his bag before triumphantly pulling out two envelopes.

 

Max and Lucas both fell silent at that, their eyes widening and glancing at each other before nervously taking their respective ones. Callahan must have said something as he excused himself, though neither of them seemed to acknowledge it. 

 

Her heart in her throat, Max looked down at the envelope in her hand. Brown University’s logo stared back up at her to the side of the printed on, MAXINE MAYFIELD on the address line. It was official looking she felt herself clam up. Likewise, Lucas nervously holding onto his, the Princeton orange bright against the off-white paper. 

 

They each looked at each other, their coffees forgotten now on the steps. 

 

“You first,” they said at the same time.

 

Lucas shook his head as Max protested.

 

“Nah, it definitely should be you. Come on Max,” he said earnestly. 

 

She sighed, seeing his stubbornness take over. And it was hard to put off her nervous energy so she nodded. She’d open hers first.

 

Lucas waited patiently, his own excitement rolling off of him as her hands shakingly tore open her envelope. 

 

Her eyes flew down to the paper clutched in her hands. The clean emblem of the university was embossed in the upper lefthand corner, a detail that she’d later run the pads of her fingers over as she took it all in. But her focus was laser-sharp, looking for the only word that mattered right now.

 

When she saw it, she couldn’t help the shriek that escaped from her and she nearly stumbled in excitement. 

 

“ACCEPTED!” Her shout was followed by a laugh of relief. 

 

Lucas let out a whoop, high-fiving her as his own nervous expression melted into excitement for her. She couldn’t let them focus too much on her though, shoving his own letter at his chest so that he would check his. She almost wished that they had done it at the same time, not sure how she’d be able to react if she got into her dream school and he didn’t. But she had such a good feeling about this that she was convinced it was going to be okay either way.

 

Ripping open his own envelope, Lucas’ smile remained on his face if only just a bit strained in anxiousness. She watched carefully as his eyes skimmed his letter, her body still humming from her own acceptance letter. 

 

Lucas’ eyes flicked up to hers and his smile managed to somehow grow even wider. 

 

“I got in,” he whispered, almost in awe before echoing himself with a shout, “I GOT IN!”

 

She yelled in excitement as well, bouncing on the balls of her feet, before suddenly Lucas swept her up into a hug. It was unexpected and part of her was realizing it was the first time they’d hugged each other, but it was all too exciting to overanalyze. Max pushed herself up onto her toes a bit, pulling herself tighter into it. 

 

All of the stress and hard work had been worth it. They had earned these spots. Not even just at great schools, but their  _ dream _ schools. And they’d done it together.

 

As they pulled back, almost in a natural move as if they had done it before, their faces turned in towards each other and Lucas kissed her.

 

Lucas Sinclair. Was kissing. HER. 

 

Just as the realization began to fully form in her mind, he suddenly pulled back from her. Her lips felt like they were tingling –  _ holyshitholyshitholyshit he kissed her _ – but then she registered the panicked expression on his face. 

 

His profuse apologies about not asking her if it was okay to kiss her were cut off as she quickly yanked him forward by his sweater and she kissed him back. 

 

It was a blur after that. At some point they obviously had to stop because soon class would be over and they couldn’t miss the rest of it without getting in trouble. So with reluctance, they pulled apart and gathered up their now-empty coffee cups and crumpled acceptance letters to head back inside.

 

Lucas gently knocked her shoulder with his as they walked through the hallway, his hand slipping down to hers after dropping his cup in recycling. Max readily laced her fingers between his, a giddiness taking over at holding his hand. For how long they had spent bickering with each other over the years, it felt oddly natural. His hand was warm and dry against hers, slight callouses from lacrosse rough against her skin in ways that mirrored her scrapes and bruises from skateboarding. The same hand that she’d watch for and race to raise it faster than, the same hand that had lately been passing her textbooks and new pens when hers died.

 

The two of them did everything they could to always be the best at whatever it was they chose to do. There was a reason they were the top of their class, contenders for Valedictorian. 

 

There was a reason that when they decided to be enemies, they were the best at that too. 

 

But now that war had melted away into first a tentative truce and camaraderie. And after a handful of weeks with stolen glances and blossoming emotions, it was an entirely new path.

 

And now they had chosen to be more than friends, the ghost of his lips still warm against hers, Max knew that they would be the best at that as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannnnd there we have it! These two dorks have finally decided to come together and be adorable. The last chapter is going to be an epilogue for this story! Thanks for sticking with me with this fic (and in general lol). The support and love for this fic has meant a lot to me!


	5. Epilogue

“If he calls you more than me, I’m going to be so pissed.”

 

Erica’s arched eyebrow was just enough to offset the serious tone in her voice, but the smile on her face was genuine and swayed the teasing threat.

 

“Shut up Erica!” Lucas’ voice floated from the front seat of the car where he was setting up the navigation app. 

 

Max giggled and elbowed Erica gently. “What if we set up a schedule?”

 

That seemed to satisfy his younger sister enough that she nodded and turned back to run into the house, yelling at Lucas that she’d give him some privacy to say goodbye to Max. The whole Sinclair family was going to be following Lucas to Princeton in their own car, all of his belongings and future dorm furniture distributed between the two cars. They luckily weren’t in a rush though and they’d been more than happy for Max to come over for one last goodbye.

 

But now they’d done the majority of the packing and Max was left shifting her weight from foot to foot, the laces on her black Converse loose and her shoulders no doubt freckling in the sun reflecting onto the Sinclair’s driveway.

 

Lucas shimmied his way out from where he had been tucked into the front seat.

 

“It is only a four hour drive you know, I don’t just have to call you,” Lucas said, a smile quirking up on his face. Max let out a laugh, but she knew he wasn’t wrong. She had already been secretly planning their first visit to each other – especially since their homecoming weekends were on separate ones.

 

It was only just enough to carry her through watching Lucas pack everything up. 

 

How was she supposed to go from having him as a part of her life nearly every day for the past years, to being in two different states? 

 

Too difficult to watch him dismantling him room, she’d helped his parents load up the truck with the larger furniture. She’d killed time with Erica, mapping out the best fast food stops along the way that the family could hit up. Obviously she’d have to head home soon enough to work on her own packing up, though it would be a much smaller affair than this. But that could wait. She’d take aimlessly walking around his house any day over just sitting at her place alone, her mom and step-dad at work. 

 

Their summer had been the first one they’d had as boyfriend and girlfriend, and in some ways not as much had changed between them as she would have guessed. They were still competitive with each other, though now when she beat him at the latest arcade game she got to kiss him as a consolation prize. She and El had seamlessly slipped into the boys’ lives during the school year after Max and Lucas had started dating, the six becoming one party. It sucked to know they’d wasted so much time before graduating but at least they had the time they did.

 

Mike’s family barbecue for the Fourth of July had been a hit, and it had been underneath the fireworks with the smell of grilling food around them that Max wondered when it was too soon to think you were in love with someone.

 

It was a thought that hadn’t left her during the rest of the summer. It had wiggled in the back of her mind while they floated the river, Lucas’ fingers drifting across her knuckles as they drifted down the water and let the heat of the day wash over them. It had crept over her as they wandered through the record exchange in downtown Hawkins, Lucas looking to grow his collection of vinyls to take with him to Princeton. It had smacked her in the face when he’d easily talked about future spring break trips they could take together, talking far enough of the future to send goosebumps down her arms.

 

And she felt it now as he emerged from the front of the car, GPS system fully set up on the dashboard, and went to shut the door. The summer glow on his skin deepening the rich tones against the bright white Princeton t-shirt he was wearing.

 

It hit her all at once that they were really saying goodbye today and her face instantly crumpled.

 

“Hey, hey,” Lucas’ smile dropped as he jogged over to her, sweeping her into a hug. 

 

She let herself fall apart for a moment, taking their chance of being alone to let out a choked sob. His arms were warm and steady around her and she felt safe. And he was going to be leaving.

 

It was all so irrational. 

 

They were going to still be dating and they’d already been planning on visiting each other. Technology existed for a reason, they’d get through this.

 

But she couldn’t help it, she wanted to let herself experience this sadness. Allow herself to feel her emotions, or whatever it was that El had rambled about one day hanging out at the quarry. Which Max had argued she’d been much better about – especially since she’d admitted to herself that she liked Lucas. El hadn’t been able to disagree with that (even if she was right about the rest of the time in regards to Max’s emotions).  

 

Try as she might, it was still impossible to remain down while she still had Lucas to physically hold on to. 

 

“We’re going to be the best long distance relationship ever,” Lucas swore as the two pulled back from their hug with each other. Max gave him a watery smile. 

 

“You’re damn straight,” she added with a laugh. 

 

Of course they would be, as if they’d ever lose at something in their lives.

 

“Maybe we can even do FaceTime study dates?”

 

Max nodded excitedly, the sadness ebbing away as she pictured it. That was one of her favorite parts about dating Lucas. Sometimes they could just sit together, doing their own thing and just embracing the other’s presence. Words weren’t always needed, touch wasn’t always required. It was his very being around her that gave her a sense of peace.

 

Of home.

 

So as she wiped away her tears and they once again went over what their semester’s class schedules were like, Max knew that they’d be okay. A part of her would just be traveling with him. A happiness buzzed through her at the idea.

 

All too soon though his family stepped out from the front door, his dad locking it behind them. And it was going to be time for him to leave.

 

They each took turns hugging each other; his family as much of one to her as she could have ever hoped for. His mom made her promise to swing by to say goodbye before leaving for Brown as well, something Max was all too happy to agree too. A warm solid hug from his dad with a gentle ruffle of her hair from him. His stoicism was something that Lucas had inherited and it always made her smile to see their similarities. 

 

She bit her lip though as they began to pull out of the driveway, determinedly keeping the smile on her face. Mrs. Sinclair had already been on the verge of tears at how quickly they were growing up, she didn’t need another reason to cry.

 

Mr. Sinclair beeped the horn in his car, the one in front, before pulling away. Mrs. Sinclair waved from the driver’s side before rolling up the window. It was impossible to not drive with the AC on in an Indiana summer. And with that, the two-car caravan began to drive out of the neighborhood. 

 

A piece of her was going with them, away from the dark navy blue house that she’d grown attached to over the summer. Summer was winding down anyway, even if they hadn’t graduated they’d be headed back to Hawkins Prep and she wouldn’t be here nearly every day. 

 

But they had graduated and it would be over a month before she got to see Lucas in person again.

 

Only a second or two passed before she threw down her skateboard, quickly jumping on it and racing after them.

 

She wouldn’t be able to catch up. 

 

But she had to see him as he left, not just as he disappeared from the driveway. 

 

So she took off through the neighborhood, following the two cars. A breeze whipped through her hair as she pushed herself forward, her leg pumping to get herself to go faster. The back of Lucas’ car was just far enough ahead that she could barely make out his silhouette in the passenger seat beside his mom. 

 

Her skateboard wheels clicked against the ground as she raced down the street, her stomach swooping as she watched the cars pull further ahead of her.

 

Faster and faster she urged herself forward.

 

Just as they paused at a stop sign, she watched as the window rolled down and Lucas’ head poked out. With the distance between them he looked incredibly small, but she could still see the giant smile on his face as he reached out to wave one last time. 

 

She pulled herself to a slow halt, enthusiastically waving both arms above her head. Maybe she really did hear his laugh, maybe she imagined it.

 

And then they were gone, disappearing around the corner.

 

Max let herself step off of her skateboard, her arms limp at her side as she caught her breath from the near sprint she had gone through to race after them. 

 

A sad, but almost breathless laugh bubbled up inside her. Seventh grade Max wouldn’t believe this past semester and summer. But here she was. Watching her boyfriend of ten months go off to college with pre-made plans to visit him for Princeton’s homecoming. Joint valedictorians when at one point, they’d nearly been the ruin of each other’s chances. They’d spent a summer blasting music in Lucas’ car, singing along loudly and extra obnoxiously at stoplights. Awkward double dates with Mike and El. 

 

Her pocket buzzed and she was brought back to earth, back to the sidewalk at the entrance of the Sinclair’s neighborhood. The sun baked down on her and across the street a woman was trying to pull her dog out of someone’s bushes. Max fished her phone out after once last laugh at the dog, glancing down and seeing Lucas’ name on the screen.

 

As she read his message, she felt as the smile on her face became a permanent fixture.

 

He insisted that she keep him posted on her packing, refusing to let her be lazy even without him there. And to double check her reading list, he had forgotten what books she had and that maybe they could create their own virtual book club if they had any in common. 

 

God, he was such a nerd.

 

Which was well… the whole point of the two of them. 

 

Quickly tapping out a reply, she flicked her ponytail back over her shoulder and began to wander her way back home. This time she was leisurely on her skateboard, letting her body drift with the natural movement of her board and the ground.

 

The end of summer seemed to be the final wrap of her adolescence. Hawkins for a while hadn’t been her home. Hawkins Prep had been simply a place for her to move forward, her nose deep in books as she battled to the front. 

 

Until of course, that fateful day in Headmaster Hopper’s office.

 

She’d have to tell El to thank him. No explanation, just a general thanks. She had always known she was a motivated person, but she wouldn’t have guessed where his ultimatum ended up leading her and Lucas. 

 

She also realized with a giggle that she was pretty sure she had never apologized to Lucas for dumping her pasta on him that day. 

 

Maybe she’d tell him when she saw him again. It would probably be best to do it in person anyway, she had to see his thrown-off reaction in person.

 

Maybe she’d tell it to him after she finally told him that she loved him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I know this is a bit of a shorter one, but for the epilogue I knew I just wanted a glimpse of them before college. I’ve had the idea of Max racing after on her skateboard after them in my head since a couple chapters ago, so I was excited to finally write it!
> 
> A huge shoutout to all of the love that this story has gotten. I had so much fun exploring these characters in this, while also playing around with a heavy fall and academia aesthetic. Forever lots of love to the anon who originally helped with this idea. The reactions to this fic have really meant the world to. 
> 
> Thank you for checking it out! The completed moodboard for it on Tumblr can be found [ here](https://she-who-the-river-could-not-hold.tumblr.com/post/185827544924/notes-in-the-margins-a-modern-lumax-enemies-to)!


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